Many electronic devices have an ability to notify a user of a particular item of interest. For example, an electronic device, such as a phone or watch, may notify a user of an incoming text, phone call, or electronic mail. Conventional notifications are temporary alarms or signals, such as an audio or vibration alarm, or temporary displays of a message, such as a text message. If the user does not respond to the text message, the text message will disappear. Such conventional alerting schemes can be distracting to the user or to parties adjacent the user. In some cases, conventional notifications may be so distracting that a user turns off the notification capability, resulting in missed receipt of urgent or critical notifications. Also, conventional notifications may be forgotten if not acknowledged during the temporary notification lifetime, as the notification frequently will get stored among a wealth of earlier notifications and data.